By Mohammed Osman
DOHA: Twenty years ago there were only 130 websites and today their number exceeded billions and have been increasing at every minute, a seminar organized by the Department of Mass Communication of Qatar University (QU) on Monday was told.
The event held at QU’s administration building was part of a series of media and communication seminars being organized by the Department.
Under the theme, “social networks and change” the seminar discussed three papers presented by Dr Jamal Zran, Dr Nurddin Miladi, and Dr Abdulrahman Al Shami. Dr Majdi Al Khuli moderated the seminar, which was attended by faculty members, students and guests.
The first paper was on social networks titled “From the Periphery to the center to the Periphery” was presented by Dr Zran and discussed the relations between mass communication and institutions including family, company, state and its entities and facilities.
Zran argued that institutions are more powerful than the individuals they lead and if someone wants to play an independent role in the virtual world of new media out of its system. Thus social networks provide with pace to break traditional barriers and give the marginalised section an opportunity to deliver their views to wider audiences.
Such ideas and thoughts created gradually through the Internet its own basis and channels of communication far away from the formal media, monitoring system and media legislations. Today those who have no access to the Internet although they are part of the wider society are considered marginalized segments.
Dr. Zran raised questioned the ties between marginalizes (whether they are individuals, groups, thoughts, art works or life style and fashions) and the communication institutions. Or whether the social networks will remain margin for virtual communications or this space will become adopted by institutions (government and companies) to embrace the marginalizes? Is social networks will become pace that bring together the personal and rationality in communications system?
The second paper was presented by Dr. Al Miladi under the title “Social Networks and the Watch Dog Task”. The rapid growth of Internet has made it a major competitor to the traditional media and the main source of information as an open space for free interaction for people all over the world through different digital platforms.
The role of social networks is not limited to the role of a competitor. It is also playing the role of a watchdog in its relation with traditional media and a major advocate of freedom of expression and the principle of democracy, Miladi argued.
Social networks have democratized information by breaking the monopoly and through leaking confidential documents in addition to playing an effective role in social and political mobility, said Dr Miladi.
Dr Al Shami, in his presentation on the role of social networking sites in promoting freedom of opinion and expression, highlighted the role of digital media in revealing different forms of corruption, including fake products, false advertisement and information.
Digital media has also became a major platform for leaking information and classified documents such as what have been done by “WikiLeaks” and Panama papers against the wishes of the entities and individuals concerned.
One of the major achievement is that knowledge has become accessible by tracking very huge volumes of information for all purposes including commercial, educational, social and others.
Al Shami said that social networking sites have become a platform for social solidarity highlighting the situations of disadvantaged sections, in addition to playing a parallel role to the official and traditional media granting free pace for bold criticism. However, Al Shami emphasized some of the negative practices related to social networks violating the social taboos by narrowing the gap between personal feelings and public affairs, in addition to violation of personal privacies.
The Peninsula
